Holding it too tightly

[Maninblack4612]

I remember being told by a pro about 30 years ago that I gripped the club too tightly. I also read some stuff by an engineer regarding machines designed to hit golf balls. He said that a well designed machine had a rigid "arm", a rigid shaft & a virtually frictionless "wrist" joint. This allowed the swinging arm to impart the maximum angular momentum to the club head, a bit like a sling or, as he termed it, an upside down trebuchet (look up the one at Warwick Castle

)

The point is that if the wrist is sufficiently flexible you can transmit more speed to the club head by simply turning the shoulders as fast as possible on the downswing & making little effort to "hit" the ball. The scientist (https://www.tutelman.com/golf/ if anyone is interested) actually says that any effort by the hands to move the shaft in the direction of the shot is counter productive.

I've been trying at the range to swing with a much looser grip. It's a weird feeling but forgetting the hands & simply allowing the club to be moved by the turning of the shoulders & upper body is producing some really solid shots & impressive distance.

I probably haven't explained this too well but has anyone else tried this? It's getting a run out on the course on Friday & I'll be interested to see how it works under pressure.

 

[casuk]

I have recently tightened my left grip and I find I don't flick the club at impact as much (ongoing issue) i feel the club is more part of my arm/hand which make me turn my body more into the swing and less flicking of the club at impact, a loose grip to me feels like my wrist feels weak

 

[Crow]

One of the earlier "scientific" studies into golf said much the same thing, a book well worth getting if you can find one.

"The Search for the Perfect Swing" by Alastair Cochran and John Stobbs, 1968.

 

[jim8flog]

In one of the books I read when I first started the advice was to hold the club as if you were holding a bird, i.e. lightly enough not to kill it and strongly enough to stop it flying away, another book said if you get a mate to pull on the club they should be able to pull the club out of you hands with only reasonable strength needed.

 

[Region3]

I’ve also seen Greg Norman say he used to grip the club as tight as he could. More than 1 way to peel a cat.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I've just read this again https://www.tutelman.com/golf/swing/golfSwingPhysics.php

I don't understand the equations but the principles are interesting &, as the writer says, counter intuitive. In particular:

(a) Before impact, the arms are slowing down as the club head accelerates, meaning that any effort to move the arms faster will slow down the club.

(b) You can execute a good shot without any conscious use of the hands, in fact, using the hands to accelerate the club will actually slow it down. (Note the example of a very flexible shaft).

(c) A bigger wrist cock will produce more distance. (You listening, Lord T?)

I think that this is a really interesting analysis.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

(c) A bigger wrist cock will produce more distance. (You listening, Lord T?)

I think that this is a really interesting analysis.

I certainly am ?. I've been following the thread with interest.

I've actually been trying this (c) for the last month. I'm finding it better with some clubs than others but it is something to work on. When it works well I get more height, happy with that, some extra distance, an improved and more satisfying strike. Definitely fewer thins.

Points a and b above are very interesting. I'm playing tomorrow and will try to put them into practice ?

 

[NearHull]

Increasing the wrist cock is interesting and I think I may try it today. But at what point in the backswing should I consciously try to increase it?

 

[Maninblack4612]

Increasing the wrist cock is interesting and I think I may try it today. But at what point in the backswing should I consciously try to increase it?

Jack Nicklaus says early but I'm not sure it matters. If you look at the pros, Garcia in particular, the wrist cock gets bigger after the downswing starts, often referred to as "lag". I think, however, that you shouldn't try to artificially hold onto the lag during the downswing. The club must release & I have the feeling of the shoulders driving the arms, with the clubhead whiplashing through the ball.

 

[Jensen]

In terms of the arms slowing down at impact, JJ explained this to me on one of my lessons. He likened it to 2 things:-
1. A whip cracking as you throw your arms forward, the wrist stops and lashes the top end forward.
2. With regards to the swing, he told me to “feel” like I was trying to pull the butt/grip end off the club as it approached my belly. This would then slow the hands down, but the club head would whip a round through impact.

 

[Curls]

If it’s working for you, great, and I have no idea what your swing last looked like before you started cocking the wrists like you’re describing but...

I only have my own experience. I tried this too, myself, no coaching. For a while it seemed like a magic move. Then incrementally over months my swing got shorter, unbeknown to me. Gradually my shoulder turn became non existent, my legs over active and while I had found the power I was seeking all this whiplash at impact was getting me was wild inconsistency. I had every miss in the bag.

You definitely need some wrist cock in the swing. There is a release point that if timed appropriately is powerful. But if you don’t team those within a larger repeatable movement you’ll end up compensating your errors into a place where you don’t have a miss. Because you have every miss. And that’s a disaster once you get lower. You need to know what side youll miss on when taking on a certain shot. Have someone who knows what they’re doing watch your swing.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@Curls thanks for that post. I played today with some mixed results, perhaps as you describe. Opening 9 was generally positive, timing was good, high ball flight, nice connections. The back 9 was less positive. I became a bit armsy, leaking right off the tee, pulling other shots left.

If I can keep the timing right it is very effective. If I lose the timing, it becomes quite destructive.

@NearHull I started doing this, wrist cock, following a coaching video from one of the golf monthly pros, a lady. She had it happening quite early, pushing your hands low as you started your backswing so it happened easily, without forcing it. I don't have a big backswing, left arm bends if I do that, so that suits me.

I can't link it but if you Google Katie Hawkins, wrist hinge you will see the segment. The video is about 4 minutes. I know there are loads out there but this seemed pretty straightforward and it is from GM so must be good ?

 

[spongebob59]

I just Googled Katie Hopkins wrist hinge by mistake ?

 

[spongebob59]

https://www.golfmonthly.com/videos/golf-swing-tips/wrist-hinge-in-the-golf-swing-explained

 

[Curls]

I just Googled Katie Hopkins wrist hinge by mistake ?

That’s a mistake you only make once

 

[NearHull]

I was going to experiment the wrist cock increase today at Selby, where I thought we’d booked a friendly 4 ball. When we arrived, three of us were surprised to find we were playing in an Open Comp 4BBB,.the organisor had forgot to tell us. So, no experimenting with the wrist cock.

it was a very pleasant day, both pairs bettered our handicaps - but well out of the prizes. Selby is built on sand and drains particularly well - I believe they’ve been shut for only one day this winter.